Crossing Dimensions
by ShadowLyrics1
Summary: Vincenzo, a shy homeless boy, is chosen to attend Hetalia College. But when he suddenly wakes up outside, he realizes he's not at school anymore. Or in his own world. Waking up to "Germany," "America," and "Britain," he finds everyone here looks like his friends. And this "Italy" is something else. But how can he get home?
1. Chapter 1

Vincenzo couldn't help but find the university threatening. The red letters "Hetalia College" glared down at him. It was dark out, like whatever's out there wanted this to be scarier than it really was. Vincenzo could've gotten here in the day if Americans didn't drive so slowly. Buses drive even slower. He never wanted to leave Italy. His twin brother made him come. "It'll be good for you," he says. Romolo doesn't know anything.

He was going to stick out like a sore thumb. He had a heavy Italian accent. He could barely read simple English. Heck, he could barely read simple Italian! Ever since he was eight, he and Romolo lived on the streets. Even worse, when he did go to school, Vincenzo didn't remember it. This was going to be his first day ever. He wished Romolo could've come with him, but Hetalia College has a program.

Someone from all major countries come to New Jersey here and study. This was one of the best schools in the world and the program was free. But only one person was chosen from Italy. Romolo made him cheat on his exams. He wanted Vincenzo to live a full life, but he was fine where he was. Being homeless was all he ever kn-

"Hey!" Something crashed into him and he landed face-first on the concrete. He lifted his head and looked over his shoulder. A man around his age with slicked back blond hair was getting up. A skateboard lay flipped over beside him.

"Sorry about that," he said offering Vincenzo his hand and helping him up. "You're wearing our uniform." Vincenzo looked at his blue pants and red jacket. The man was wearing the same thing. "Are you new here?" Vincenzo noticed he spoke in a German accent.

"Oh, um," Vincenzo said awkwardly. "Yeah."

"You must be the Italian student," the man said, noticing the accent. "It's not safe to be wandering around here at night. We may get caught. Follow me." He started up the marble steps and adjusted a bulging backpack slung over his shoulder.

"I'm Ludwig, by the way," he said. He said it Loot-vik. Vincenzo hoped it wouldn't be too hard to understand him when he spoke. As they entered the halls, Vincenzo saw murals covering the walls. One depicted China, one showed France, and one seemed to show Britain. There was, however, one white space, not yet painted.

"What are the murals?" Vincenzo whispered.

"Students are supposed to paint their country on the walls," Ludwig answered quietly. "That blank space is for you." Vincenzo hadn't painted a day in his life, and all the paintings were just beautiful. Ludwig silently opened a green door with a German, Italian, British, and American flag on it. Those must be the countries sharing the dorm. Vincenzo's place must've been premade. Two hands pulled Ludwig and him inside by their jackets and shut the door.

"Stop snooping!" a man with thick eyebrows and a British accent said sternly. "It's against the rules! Probably making the new country do the stealing this time, eh?" Ludwig shrugged as a voice moaned from the top of a bunk bed.

"You gotta stop waking me up," someone with light brown hair and an American accent said.

"I brought food," Ludwig said taking off his pack.

"All is forgiven!" the American said, suddenly cheery. He leapt off the bed, not bothering to use the rungs on the side. Ludwig pulled out burgers and soda, passing them around. Vincenzo almost dropped his when he was thrown one. He never had American food before.

"I sometimes steal these from the cafeteria," Ludwig explained. "I never get caught, so don't worry about it." Vincenzo never thought of stealing. Romolo and he sat on a blanket outside and locals found it a tradition and even good luck to throw them some food or money. The tourists thought it was strange, but they did it anyway. It was nice to know people cared.

"What's your name, kid?" the British one asked, climbing into the bottom bunk, under where the American was.

"Vincenzo," he said.

"I'm Scott."

"I'm Fred!" the American greeted, getting back up to his bunk.

"You can sleep above me," Ludwig said. Vincenzo saw they all slept in their clothes.

"We sleep in our uniform because tests just finished," Fred said, almost reading his mind. "We're exhausted," he said with his mouth full of burger. Vincenzo shrugged a shoulder and went up to his bunk bed.

"You won't be able to sleep," Ludwig said from underneath him. "You'll probably be thinking about home."

"Yeah," Fred said. "I had to leave my brother, Clark. He recently moved to Canada, so I won't see him in a while, even when I get back to California."

"I had to leave my older brother, Hobbard," Ludwig said.

"I didn't have siblings, but I left my parents behind," Scott admitted. They all looked at Vincenzo expectantly.

"Oh, I had to leave behind my twin brother, Romolo," he said. "We didn't have parents. They died a long time ago." Long pause.

"Alright, intros done," Scott said. "I need to go to bed. Last day of tests tomorrow." Everyone else grunted in agreement and rolled over. Vincenzo closed his eyes. He was actually sleeping. He didn't know how he managed.

Vincenzo moaned and sat up. He cracked his eyes open. The sunlight hurt his eyes. Wait. Sunlight? He was just inside. His eyes snapped open and he looked around. He was outside lying on the grass! Was this a prank? Did they always do this to new students?

"Why are you on the ground?" Ludwig's voice asked sternly. Vincenzo looked up. It was Ludwig alright, but he was wearing a weird uniform from the World War Two or something and his blue eyes were a lot more piercing.

"Could you please tell me why?" Vincenzo muttered rubbing the back of his head.

"I swear, I'll never understand you Italians," he sighed. Vincenzo got the idea he needed to get up and did so. He saw a figure in a similar uniform to Ludwig approaching. Vincenzo could barely believe who it was.

"Romo-"

"Where is my idiot brother?!" he murmured. He saw Vincenzo and rolled his eyes. "There you are. What happened to you? You were gone for hours! You're usually so clingy…"

"Huh?" Vincenzo said. "Romolo?" Romolo's eyes got wider.

"Romolo?" he said with a confused face. "It's _Romano_. Did you bump your head?" Vincenzo could almost see question marks appear over his head like he was an anime character. What was this? Fred (in some kind of Air Force uniform) and Scott (in clothes like Ludwig's) came over too.

"Hey, bro!" Fred said to Ludwig. "Found Italy?"

Italy?

"We found him sleeping on the ground," Ludwig replied.

"Really?" Scott said. "America, why are you here? I told you not to come."

America?

"Shut up, Britain," he said. "I thought it was weird Italy wasn't with Germany, that's all. Thought he was dead or something."

Britain? Germany? What?

"What's going on?" Vincenzo asked so quietly the others had to double-check that they heard him. "I don't suppose you guys are Romolo, Ludwig, Fred or Scott, are you?" They stared blankly. Out of them all, Vincenzo was most upset one wasn't Romolo.

"Hey, guys!" a high-pitched voice called. It sounded like Vincenzo's, but Vincenzo's voice had a little bit of a higher pitch. "I got captured by France again! They sent me back because I was too much trouble!" There was a package on a hill. It was duct-taped up. The voice was coming from in there?

"Who's that?" Vincenzo asked. Ludwig/Germany shook his head and he ran up to the box, others following close behind.

"Who is it?!" Ludwig asked loudly when everyone surrounded it.

"It's Italy! Did you forget my voice?"

"Wait, dude," Fred said. "So if that's Italy…"

"Then who's that?" Scott finished. Vincenzo shrugged a shoulder. Ludwig ripped open the box and something sprung from it.

"Ah!" the person inside said. "PASTA!"

"What is up with you and that word?!" Romolo asked angrily. The person inside looked a lot like Vincenzo. Except his eyes were closed. How was he supposed to see? But he really did look like Vincenzo. He even had that curl.

"So…" Ludwig said turning to him. "Who're you?" The person inside cocked his head in a confused way.

Vincenzo couldn't help but do the same.


	2. Meeting the Countries

***Shadow's Rant: I already got two reviews and I'm happy 'cuz they said it was good! Thank you! Please review. It's my favorite part of posting these! **

**And someone asked if I'm going to have any pairings… Oh, um… I feel awkward about doing the whole "two guys in love" thing, even though I like hearing about North Italy and Germany. But I'm thinking about doing HRE and Italy. HRE is my favorite character next to North and South Italy! You'll definitely be hearing from him!* **

"So if you aren't my friends," Vincenzo said slowly. "Then who are you?" The others exchanged looks as they all stood in a line in front of Vincenzo.

"My name is Germany," the one who looked like Ludwig said.

"America!" Fred's clone said.

"I'm Britain," Scott's clone said.

"Romano," the one who was Romolo said. "But I said that already."

"And I'm Italy!" Vincenzo glanced at his own lookalike and smiled at him. For some reason, the others gave him a glare. They didn't seem to like him much.

"Nice to meet you all," Vincenzo said. "My name is Vincenzo."

"Okay, bro," America said with a shine in his blue eyes. "The only thing you really need to know is that I'm the boss around here and you have to do what I say." Everyone else rolled their eyes.

"You know," Vincenzo said. "You all look like people I know."

"Really?" Germany said raising an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Um… Ludwig, Fred, Scott. Those are my roommates. And then there's my brother, Romolo. He seems like a much better brother than Romano." Romano huffed and crossed his arms.

"Usually when this happens in a movie," America started. "This means the guy crossed dimensions."

"Typical American," Britain scoffed. "What happens in movies doesn't happen in real life."

"I wouldn't rule out the impossible," Vincenzo said looking at Italy. "If there are different versions of those from my world, including myself, it may be the case."

"Whatever you say," Germany sighed. He obviously thought this was nonsense.

"So what do you suggest we do with you?" Britain asked.

"I'm not really sure," Vincenzo said frankly. "Maybe I should stay with Italy?"

"Italy's staying with me," Germany said. Somehow he sounded disappointed.

"Yeah, you can stay!" Italy finally decided to speak up. "Right, Germany?"

"I don't know about this," Romano said. "We don't even know if we can trust him."

"Why wouldn't you trust me?" Vincenzo asked.

"Don't act like an idiot," Romano said. "That's my brother's job," he added quietly, but it didn't seem like Italy heard.

"Let's just give the dude a chance!" America said putting his arm around Vincenzo.

"America," Britain said. "We can't just let him in."

"I'll take him," Germany muttered. "Just until he finds somewhere else to go." Vincenzo tried to cut in and tell them he had no problem sleeping outside, but he thought it was wise to keep his mouth shut.

"Quick question," he interrupted. "Why are you all named after countries?" They all gave him a long stare.

"You can't be serious," Germany said. "You mean they don't have us where you're from?"

"We _are_ countries!" Italy explained.

"What?" Vincenzo said. "How can you be countries? Then again, you all seem like the stereotypes for your countries. Is each one represented by a person like yourselves?"

"I guess you could say that," Britain said.

"Does that mean you live forever?" Vincenzo asked excitedly. "Or do you get replaced when you die?"

"We die when our countries fall," Britain replied slowly. "But…"

"So you guys must be hundreds of years old!"

"Yup!" America cut in before Britain could say anything. "I'm the youngest out of these guys. But I'm the strongest!"

"No you're not!" Britain said firmly. "You wouldn't be half as strong as you are now if I didn't raise you!"

"Oh, come on, man," America said. "Are you still mad about that whole Revolutionary War thing? You do have a pretty big problem when it comes to wars. You're like an addict!"

As Britain and America continued to fight, Vincenzo turned back to Italy and Germany, deciding to let the others settle the matter.

"So let me get this straight," Vincenzo said, hoping to understand. "You guys live until your country fails and the way you treat each other depends on the history between you?"

"In a manner of speaking," said Germany.

"Wow," Vincenzo breathed. "So I'm gonna be with some of the strongest countries in the world?"

"That's right bro, because you obviously mean me!" America shouted from his fight. Vincenzo ignored it. He turned to Italy.

"It's an honor to meet you," he said. He saw Germany roll his eyes. "It's nice to meet my own country." Even though it was an offensive stereotype to be seen as what Italy seemed to be: a coward of sorts.

"It's nice to meet you too!" Italy said with an optimistic look on his face. (Something told Vincenzo that that look was constant.)

"I don't want any part of this," Romano muttered. He started to walk away.

"Whatever!" Vincenzo said. "I don't care." He paused. "So if you guys are brothers, why isn't he named after a country? He is a country, isn't he?"

"I'm the Southern half," Romano explained. Vincenzo noticed his name meant "native of Rome." Did Italy have another name too if Romano was Italy was well? The more he tried to understand, the more it made no sense.

And he had to make sense of it all. Lord knows how long he'd be there.


	3. A Month Later

***I'm so excited! I finally started a FanFic from the Holy Roman Empire's point of view! I hope to post it up soon. :)***

"Roll call!"

"Uno!"

"Ni!"

"…..VINCENZO!"

"Oh, uh, here!"

That day, Germany made him come to training with Italy and Japan. He watched their missions from afar a few times.

"This is a war," Germany barked. "You must be fast, strong, and cunning. Today, we'll work on speed." He pointed to a large track. It must've been a mile long. "We will run ten times around that track."

Even though Italy got somewhat of a sick look, Vincenzo beamed. He was extremely fast, and he tested himself a few days before this: he could run twenty miles without stopping. He, Japan, Italy, and Germany stood behind a white line.

"Um, Giappone," Vincenzo said, using the Italian word for "Japan." "Does Italy look okay to you?"

"He's always like this," Germany interrupted. "Just ignore it." Italy looked somewhat hurt, but focused more on the length of the track.

"Go!" Germany shouted. Vincenzo breezed past them all until he was around the track once and Germany wasn't even half-way done. As he looked back, Vincenzo saw Italy shuffling his feet and panting. Vincenzo decided to help him out. He turned around and raced past Japan and Germany, waving to them on the way. He heard Germany mutter "Italians" under his breath. He reached Italy and walked alongside him.

"Don't tell me you're tired already!" Vincenzo said with a smile. Italy hung his head, obviously watching Germany pass the mile-mark. "I'll make you a deal," Vincenzo said.

"What?" Italy sighed. Vincenzo wondered if he wanted to show Germany he could do it even though he couldn't.

"I'll get you a pizza if you can beat Germany," Vincenzo said. All of a sudden, and trail of dust was left in Italy's wake. Vincenzo laughed and ran past Germany, still not able to beat Italy. When Vincenzo, second place, crossed the finish line, he found Italy gasping for breath with his hands on his knees.

"Wow," Germany said, coming up next to them. "He actually did it." Japan was right behind him.

"Guess you never learn," Vincenzo said. "Italy is motivated by food. I know a lot about him and got him to work. Guess he should start calling me 'Captain' now!" (Italy sometimes called Germany this.) Germany rolled his eyes at the rare sarcastic remark.

"Pizza?" Italy gasped.

"When we get home," Vincenzo replied. "Let's go." Italy groaned and shuffled along behind them. Vincenzo thought about his time here. He'd been stuck in this strange dimension for a whole month, to the day. Was Romolo worried? What about his roommates?

But he didn't really care. He liked it here. All the countries (with a few exceptions) welcomed him, and he got to go around the world, with his favorite country being Japan (although he found his representation quite boring). Prussia was "AWESOME" and had a cool accent. Despite his arrogant demeanor, he was actually very kind. Shocking, compared to his relationship with Mrs. Hungary (also very kind and nice to be around).

But he really did wish his roommates would come look for him. If they would care and be here searching, it would make Vincenzo feel better.

"Ow!" a voice from the bushes yelled. "You idiot! Stop tripping over me!" That was America's voice, wasn't it?

"They're at it again," Germany sighed.

"You tripped yourself," Britain countered. "Not my fault."

"Everything's your fault!" America said. Britain was hurled out of the bushes and landed at Japan's feet. But he didn't notice him. Britain stood up and yelled back.

"[Bleep] you, Fred!" he shouted. "I knew I should've stayed in Bristol!"

Fred?

"Oh, really?" Fred said, standing up and stumbling out of the brush. "I think life would've been much better if I stayed in San Francisco. Or maybe if I'd gotten a better roommate! At least Ludwig… Wait, Ludwig?" Fred finally noticed the three countries plus Vincenzo staring at them. Fred tapped Scott on the shoulder and pointed to Vincenzo and Italy. Scott noticed the two of them and looked from one to the other.

"Hey, you guys!" Vincenzo said happily. "You guys really came looking for me?" Italy murmured "pizza" under his breath.

"As if!" Fred said curtly. "We gave up on that the first week. We've only landed here, what, a minute ago?" Vincenzo's face fell.

"Is it just you two?" Vincenzo asked.

"Well, there's Ludwig," Scott said. "If it's safe to assume that's him." He pointed uncertainly at Germany.

"Oh," Vincenzo said. "This one here is Germany, then that's Japan, and this is Italy, the only one who doesn't care about wiping out a nation!" He eyed Germany, who gave him the evil eye in return.

"I'm just going to ignore the whole country-name thing and ask," Scott said and Fred inspected Italy, probably deciding on how to bully him. "Why are there two of you? And Ludwig?"

"I think you guys crossed dimensions," Vincenzo explained.

"Now I know you're crazy," Fred said. "Let's go," he said to Scott. "We'd better find out where we are."

"Alright," Scott said. He turned to the others. "Cheers, then." And he and Fred started to walk away.

"Why do you say 'cheers?'"

"Because I'm British. You Americans said 'See ya.' We say 'cheers.'"

"British people are weird."

"Says you."

Vincenzo quickly grabbed the back of their t-shirts and shoved them into more bushes. Fred opened his mouth to protest, but Scott slapped the back of his head.

"How's it going, bros?" America asked running up to Italy, Germany, and Japan. (Vincenzo stayed hidden in the bushes.)

"What do you want?" Germany asked rudely.

"I just wanted to know where Britain went," America replied. "That stupid country's always wandering around."

"You do realize we're enemies, correct?" Japan said. Italy clutched his grumbling stomach.

"Well, I kinda needed to know if he was around here, and who knows Germany better than Germany himself?"

"Just because it's my country, I don't know where he is. Now leave before I kill you."

Fred and Scott put on a "we're _where?!_" expression.

"Ah, _there_ you are," Britain sighed as he walked up to his ally. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"You have?" America asked. "I've been looking for _you_ since you were the one who was lost." Finally, Fred was filled with too many questions to keep quiet, and Vincenzo couldn't hold him down anymore. He ripped himself from Vincenzo's grip and shot up from the branches.

"Okay!" he said pointing and America and Britain. "I want to know what's going on right now. Why are there two of me?"

The two Allies looked at each other and then Fred. Scott and Vincenzo, still well hidden, gave a deep sigh.

Fred was such an idiot.

***Welcome to Shadow's Rant for those of you who actually care! I'm so excited for this FanFic! I worked so hard on it and now it's finally on the internet. This is my favorite one so far and it's based on my favorite anime! (Go South Italy! *I'm South Italian! Well, at least my Nonna is.*) All my characters have meaning to their names. Obvious ones like Scott ("SCOTTland") and then Vincenzo (named after my great-grandfather). I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!* **


	4. Enter Fred and Scott!

"What the heck is this?" America asked. Fred's blue eyes stared intently. Britain tensed up, probably expecting another him. Because, I mean, how annoying would two Americas be if you don't have another self to go through it with.

Vincenzo and Scott huddled next to each other in their bush, trying not to get stabbed by the sharp branches. Vincenzo saw that Scott was so confused he couldn't do much except sit there in silence. Poor Scott. When an alternate version of you and your roommate walk in and your actual roommate messes everything up because you thought you could get home quietly without causing trouble, all you can do is sit there.

Unless you're Scott. Or Fred. Either or.

"That's it!" he said standing up. "Guess there's no point in hiding since Fred messed everything up. Fred cocked his head as Scott pulled a few twigs from his blond hair.

"Um, mi dispiace! I'm sorry!" Vincenzo said as he poked his head out of the leaves. "I thought I could get my friends out of here before you found out. Does this trouble you at all?" Italy looked curiously at Fred and Scott. He probably wasn't comfortable knowing there were more Allies.

"Are you kidding?" America said enthusiastically. "Another me! I'll be even stronger than I already am! That's right, people, it's possible for me to get stronger!"

"But who are you?" Scott said, raising his voice. "And on that note, what are you?!" The Allies exchanged looks as the Axis Powers waited for an answer that would hopefully be entertaining. (Except Italy. He still wanted his pizza.)

"I'll explain," Vincenzo said walking out into the open. His jeans were covered with leaves and he shook them off. "These are all countries. They're actually your native country. See? That there's Britain - kind of a logical kind of guy, in my opinion - and that's America, an arrogant guy who speaks slang and survives on fast food."

"Countries?" Fred said, scratching his head. "Well, that's not very... possible."

"Hello?" a small voice said. They all turned around to see Canada, a shy man who only Vincenzo doesn't mistake for America.

"THREE Freds?!" Scott gasped. "I don't know how much more of this I can take!"

"No, that's not me," Fred replied. "That looks just like my brother, Clark."

"Who're you?" the little bear Canada was holding piped.

"I'm Canada," he answered quietly.

"Canada!" Fred exclaimed. "Yeah, Clark moved to Canada! I haven't seen him in a while. Nice to see ya! By the way, what's with the wimpy voice?"

Scott and Vincenzo nudged him.

"All the countries are based on stereotypes in our world," Vincenzo said. "That's why he sounds like that. But it's a nice place to live, I think. I mean, not a lot of crimes and kind people." Canada grinned at him.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding," America said, affronted. He pulled Canada's hair curl and Canada flinched. "I'm obviously better than this dude."

"Nobody said you were worse," Britain sighed. "Why are you here anyway, Canada? You aren't one to travel here often."

"Oh, um..." Canada nervously adjusted his glasses. "I just wanted to tell America that..."

"Tell me what?" America asked. Canada tensed up.

"Um... uh," he stammered. "You're kind of being..." When he realized it was useless, he ran away, his bear asking "Who're you?" "I'm Canadaaaaaa..."

"What was that about?" Scott asked. Vincenzo knew. Sometimes Canada wanted to tell America to stop being such a jerk since he usually got blamed for it when he got mistook for his brother.

"Doesn't matter at this point," Germany said. "Right now we need to figure out what we're going to do with you two." He glared at Scott and Fred.

"They can stay with us!" Italy suggested. "Right, Germany?"

"No!" Germany protested. "We've already got Vincenzo! I don't need the Allies!"

"We're not Allies," Scott said.

"Yeah," Fred agreed. "Consider us neutral."

"I'm not taking you in until you pick a side," Germany said crossing his arms. "I have to be sure."

Fred and Scott looked to Britain and America, who raised an eyebrow, daring them to say "Axis." But Germany would beat them up until the war was over if the answer was "Allies." Vincenzo knew there was nothing he could do when it came to standing up to Germany.

"Axis," Scott answered. Then he turned around and mouthed "Allies" to his lookalike. Germany obviously didn't see this.

"Okay then," he sighed. "A deal's a deal."

"Cool!" Italy exclaimed. "So that means they're staying with us?"

"Don't make me say it again…" Germany covered his eyes with a black glove and began to walk to his house.

"Hey, wait!" America shouted after him. "If we're here, we might as well battle!"

"Non mi va…" Italy muttered. "I don't feel like it." (I just taught you an Italian phrase. You should be very grateful.)

"I'm not in the mood either," Japan said. "I'd much rather go home."

"Let's just call it a day, America," Britain said. "We'll attack them later."

Vincenzo jumped into bed while Fred and Scott attempted to find the most comfortable spot they could on the wooden floor.

"Are you sure you don't want the bed?" Vincenzo asked.

"I want it!" Fred said.

"No, it's just fine," Scott intervened. "Right, Fred?"

"…Sure," he sighed. Vincenzo rolled over on his sheets, not bothering to pull the covers over his head.

"Have you guys met any other countries?" Vincenzo asked as Scott turned off the lights.

"Only that old codger Austria," Scott answered. "I've been there before, nice place, but he's just… ugh."

"Yeah," Vincenzo replied. "He worked Italy as a slave while he was a child. Poor guy."

"Why'd he have to be staying here too?" Fred whined. "He never stops it with the piano."

"He's just going through some trouble," Vincenzo explained. "You should meet the woman who lives with him, Hungary. She's kind of scary when she needs to be, but she's really nice. She's an alternate version of someone I know."

"Never mind that," Fred said. "We need to get home. We don't belong here."

"It would be nice to go home," Vincenzo said. "Italy could go too. I want to see how he interacts with our world! Probably visit every Italian restaurant and see which one serves the best pasta."

"That spoiled brat won't eat anything low-class, huh?" Fred said.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have a good heart," Vincenzo commented.


	5. Romolo and Helen

From the top-bunk of his dorm, Vincenzo could see the sunlight peer through the blinds. He felt as if he was awake for a while, but that couldn't be true. He'd just fell asleep. Right?

"Up and at 'em!" Fred called. He threw a pillow at Vincenzo. "C'mon, new kid. You may not have testing, but that doesn't mean you can laze around all day."

"Hey," Scott said, sitting on the edge of his bed. "Where's Ludwig?" Vincenzo slid off his bed and looked at Ludwig's bunk. It was true; the bed was empty, like he was never there.

"English class is up first," Fred told Vincenzo.

"Then we have to go to testing," Scott finished sadly. "I hate physics. And English class. You Americans spell words wrong. Like 'colour.' It's got a 'u.'"

"Nu-uh," Fred countered as Vincenzo slipped on his shoes quietly. "Why would it have a 'u?' It's got no purpose there."

"Weirdo."

"At least I know how to spell." Vincenzo followed them out the door and walked in with them to English class and took their seats in the back of the room. Kids of all nationalities were in there. They recognized Vincenzo as an unknown intern. They began to whisper and talk about him.

"Oh, he's cute!" a Spanish girl whispered to her friend.

"I love his curl!" a Polish girl said.

"He's the new Italian guy, right?" an Australian girl said.

At that remark, everyone began to ask him questions, none of which he answered.

"What's Italy like?" Austrian man. (Who looked nothing like Austria.)

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Prussian girl.

"What part of Italy are you from?" Canadian man.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Hungarian girl.

"Settle down, settle down," a man said as he entered the room. He had an accent Vincenzo didn't recognize. The teacher saw him in the back. "Nice of you to finally join us," he sneered. "Now, class, let's all repeat a vocabulary word we learned. Stand up, now, one at a time." The children stood and took turns saying a word.

"Aperture."

"Excruciating."

"Minuscule."

"PASTA~!"

A muffled voice from the hall made Fred, Scott, and Vincenzo jumped, although nobody else paid any mind. They actually forgot about that "other place!" Fred and Scott, that was understandable (they'd only been there a few hours) but Vincenzo was there for a whole month! Wait… Ludwig! Vincenzo's hand shot up into the air.

"Yes, Vincenzo," the teacher sighed.

"Where's the German intern?" he asked. The teacher gave him a puzzled look.

"German intern?" he said. "There isn't one. We're still looking for one." The dots finally connected. While they were gone, no one was looking for them because they _didn't exist._ Ludwig was still in the other dimension! They had to get him back! Then a thought hit Vincenzo. Romolo was an only child for a whole month… Well, Vincenzo thought everything was back to normal on his brother's end.

The three students didn't ask to leave. They bolted out of the class room and slammed the door, running down the halls, and looking for Italy.

"Oh, hey guys!" Italy's voice said. He was standing right in front of them, looking very out of place in his old-fashion war uniform. "Are you stuck here too?"

"What do you mean…?" Scott started. "Never mind. We need to get you back to Germany before anyone sees you."

"Vincenzo!" a voice call. Recognizing it immediately, Vincenzo picked lock on a locker (an unknown talent), shoved Italy into it, and shut it.

"What are you doing?!" a panicked Italy said from behind the locker door. "I'll do anything, just let me out, I'm too young to die-" Fred hit the door angrily and Italy shut up.

"He's thousands of years old and he has the nerve to say 'I'm too young to die,'" he growled.

"Vincenzo!" the voice called again. Vincenzo's brother turned the corner and saw them.

"Romolo!" Vincenzo said happily. A young woman, slightly older than the twins, stood next to Romolo. "Helen!" Vincenzo ran to them, but before he could say anything, Romolo held up a crumpled piece of paper, addressed to Helen with Vincenzo's information on it.

"Who're these guys?" Fred asked, standing next to Italy's locker.

"Oh, um," Vincenzo stuttered as Romolo agitatedly lowered the paper. "This is Romolo, my twin brother, and this is Helen, someone I've known for a while." Inside his head, he recited that she was the alternate version of Hungary, and Helen was even from the country, coming to Italy to look for better work to support her family.

"Do you know what this is?" Romolo asked firmly, holding up the paper. Vincenzo slowly shook his head. "This is your attendance. You've been absent for a _month._ I've given you the opportunity to get an education and you haven't even been going to classes?"

"It's not his fault!" Scott said. "We talked him into it."

"But that doesn't mean he didn't do it," Romolo said to him.

"Maybe this wasn't the best idea," Helen said. "Maybe you should come back home in Italy."

"No!" Vincenzo yelled. Romolo and Helen looked taken aback that he would raise his voice. "I want to stay! This-"

"Could somebody _please_ let me out?!" Italy whimpered. Scott, Fred, and Vincenzo all hung their heads. It hadn't even been five minutes.

"Is someone trapped in there?" Romolo asked. Before anyone could say anything, Italy (using hidden strength that only comes out when he's trying to escape) kicked the door and broke the lock. He tumbled out of the locker and lay sprawled at Romolo's feet. Italy looked up, saw Romolo, and jumped to his feet.

"Romano!" he said happily. "You're stuck here too?" Romolo and Helen looked from Italy to Vincenzo and back to Italy.

"Should I explain?" Vincenzo asked awkwardly.

"Please," Helen said. Romolo waited for an answer.


	6. Romolo and Romano

"You see," Vincenzo started. "This is sort of an… alternate version of me." Romolo raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he said flatly as Helen stared thoughtfully at Italy. "I'm not that gullible."

"No, no, really!" Vincenzo insisted. "He's a country! He's North Italy."

That made Romolo laugh. "He doesn't look like a mass of land to me. 'Country.'"

"Hey, Vinnie," Helen said with a cute smile as she looked at Italy. "I wouldn't happen to have an alternate version of myself, would I?"

"Hungary," Vincenzo answered. "She lived with Italy in Austria's house when he was a child. She's really nice, but she still lives with Austria." He crossed his arms disapprovingly.

"Did she raise him?" Helen asked.

"Um, no," Vincenzo said. He knew where she was going with the questions. While Romolo and Vincenzo were living on the streets, she'd use spare money to buy them food and warm clothes every day. As a result, she became a big sister to the twins, like Hungary was a big sister to Italy. Vincenzo liked Helen. Since his mother died when he was very young from sickness, it was nice to have an older female figure around.

"I'm still not believing it," Romolo said. "Even though… the likeness… is creepy." He eyed Italy nervously, with Italy giving him a puzzled look in return.

"If I could just go back with all of you…" Vincenzo muttered in agitation. "I could prove it."

"This is all Germany's fault! It always is!" Romolo jumped at his own voice and the change of scenery. Suddenly, they were all in a forest. Helen and Romolo assessed the situation and shrugged, not able to show confused they were.

"Romano!" Vincenzo yelled. "Is that you?" He was obviously past just a few trees.

"What am I going to have for breakfast tomorrow?" Italy's older brother moaned. Romolo, wanting to know what this was about, pushed pass the trees to come face-to-face with his other self. They both stared at each other blankly, not sure what to do in this kind of situation.

"Hey, Romano!" Italy said, peeking his head through the leaves. "This is Vincenzo's brother! He looks just like you, doesn't he?" Vincent, Scott, and Fred all shoved Romolo aside as they tried to get through the brush.

"Romano, this is Romolo," Vincenzo introduced. "Romolo, this is Romano, Italy's foul-mouthed, mean, cowardly, and aggressive big brother." Romano gave him a death stare.

"Are you Italy's twin brother?" Romolo asked, quickly getting over his shock."

"No way!" Romano shouted. "Being related to me is bad enough! If he were my twin, I'd DIE!" Italy looked down and sighed as Helen looked at Romano curiously, possibly eager to meet Hungary herself. Vincent saw Romano was clutching an empty jar with "PASTA" written on it.

"Out of pasta?" Vincenzo asked.

"Yes!" Romano said. "And it's all Germany's fault!" Vincenzo knew it wasn't. Romano blamed everything bad that happened on him.

"Get over it," Romolo said. "There are more things to eat than pasta." Romano glared at his other self.

"Are you from Italy?"

"…Well, yeah."

"North or South?"

"North." Romano hurled the jar at Romolo's face. Romolo, after looking dazed, looked infuriated.

"Well, thank God you aren't from my half," Romano said. "If I knew idiots like you were in my half of the country, I wouldn't want to be a country anymore."

"Let me explain before you fight," Vincenzo said quickly as Romolo balled his fists. "Romano is the Southern half of Italy while that Italy is from the North. Since Romano is controlled by the Italian mafia, he's extremely cynical and judgmental." Getting a hang of the whole "countries" thing, Helen cocked her head.

"But Southern Italy isn't controlled by the mafia anymore," she commented. "That was all the way back in World War Two." Romano rolled his eyes.

"It _is_ World War Two!" he said. "Where have you been?"

"You know we come from the future," Fred said.

"Well, sometimes I think this war will never end," Romano sighed. "It's 1943 already."

"1943?!" Helen gasped. "We've gone back in time?"

"And crossed dimensions," Italy brought up.

"Want to meet Germany?" Vincenzo asked. "He's Italy's best friend."

"Yeah," Italy said. "He's really pretty and strong and he's whiter than anybody and…"

"Okay, I get it," Romolo interrupted. "So this is where you've been for the past month?" he asked Vincenzo. Vincenzo nodded slowly.

"This is amazing!" Helen said. She shook off the leaves on her grey sweatshirt and denim shorts. "It really is! Say, do countries have parents?" Vincenzo flinched and Helen realized she touched a sensitive topic.

"No," Romano said flatly. "Now go away."

"Let's just go to meet Germany," Vincenzo said. "Romano may try to attack us with a mustache."


	7. Ludwig Returns

***In chapter 2, Britain says he did ****_not_**** have a war between his own country. Because I was unfamiliar with the history of the country, I did research and didn't find much. I apologize for this mistake. I do put a lot of care into my research for things I do not know. If I get a fact wrong about a country, please PM me and I will try to change or delete this as soon as possible. Thank you.***

When Vincenzo was leading Fred, Scott, Romolo and Helen to Germany's house, he only made it half-way before he found Britain making trouble again. Britain was in a tank and it was pointed at what looked like Germany.

"Ha!" Britain said from inside his weapon. "Got you now! This war is mine!"

"What war?" Germany said. "This is the first time I've heard of this."

"I'll be responsible for killing Germany and ending this!"

"My name isn't Germany! It's _Ludwig!_"

Britain popped out the top of his tank. "Ludwig? You wouldn't happen to know Scott and Fred would you?"

"I thought you were Scott."

"Hey, Ludwig!" Vincenzo said. "Ciao! Where have you been?" Ludwig turned to him in surprise. Of course, Italy was still with them, confusing Ludwig.

"Who's that?" Ludwig said.

"Don't ignore me!" Britain shouted.

"This is my twin!" Vincenzo said. Romolo gave him a look. "Geez, sto scherzando! I kid! This is… uh…"

"It's the country version of you, ja, ja," Ludwig sighed. "I've already met Germany. He's somewhere… Oh, I lost him."

"I thought you came here with us," Fred said. "Where'd you go?"

"Still here!" Britain yelled.

"Are you kidding?" Ludwig said. "If I stayed with you I _knew_ I was going to die. I heard gunshots in the distance. It's apparently World War II."

"We've heard," Romolo said as Italy studied Ludwig curiously.

"Did I bring this tank for nothing?!" Britain cried.

"Yes," Romolo said. "And if you don't shut up right now, your head will be inside the tank while your body will be somewhere in Prussia."

"Can you just try and beat up Russia or something?" Vincenzo said. "He's not _that_ scary." Britain was gone, and so was his tank at the mention of Russia.

"Hey, Vincenzo," Italy said. "If you're from the future, you know how this war ends, right?" Vincenzo gulped. "Does the Axis win? Germany's winning left and right, so we must win, right?"

"Be quiet," Romolo growled. "Or I'll set fire to the next bowl of pasta you make." Italy yelped and hid behind Vincenzo.

"How'd you know he liked pasta?" Scott said.

"He wouldn't stop muttering about it," he answered.

"Um, out of curiosity," Ludwig interrupted. "Are there any countries we'll need to worry about?"

"Hmm," Italy said. "No, I don't think so…"

"Since you're all here," Vincenzo said. "Why don't we go to Venice? I want to show you my hometown."

"Only if we go to Bristol next!" Scott said.

"Then Berlin," Ludwig said.

"Then we save the best for last!" Fred said. "San Francisco!"

Naturally, they were soon in Venice. (God forbid they enter Southern Italy.) They got pizza (which Fred actually admitted was better than American pizza) and just went sightseeing. It was nice. For a while.

"Italy's better than I thought!" Fred said. (Italy wasn't there. He ditched them for an Italian restaurant.) They were crossing the road when something made Vincenzo just… stop.

"Hey," Ludwig said as he and the others went onto the sidewalk. "I suggest you move."

Wasn't this the spot? Where… that happened?

"Vincenzo?" Scott said. "Vincenzo, MOVE!"

But he didn't. He felt something hit him, and then nothing.


	8. Remembering

***I was really nervous about posting this. I had it ready but delayed it because it sort of steers off the road I was going on. However, this is vital to the twin's back-story. I hope you like it anyway.* **

_Vincenzo was only eight at the time. It was a few years after his mom died. He was on a walk with Romolo. His brother wasn't as serious as he was as an adult. He and Vincenzo were almost exactly the same. They knew what the other was thinking at all times. They always liked going on walks on the streets of Venice and say hello to tourists. They liked the ones who came really far. They took pictures of them like, "Look! A real life ITALIAN KID!" The twins would always laugh. Always. _

_Their dad, Vito, had a job that didn't pay well. Vincenzo couldn't recall exactly what he did, but it had something to do with drawing, didn't it? Vito was always happy and smiling. Always. Until that day._

_Romolo and Vincenzo, like usual, were taking their daily walk on the sidewalk of their beloved city. But then their dad ran past. Wasn't he in work? Vincenzo, being a child and not understanding, ran after his father. _

_He could faintly hear Romolo screaming at him to stop. He could see the strange men chasing after Vito, shouting in what seemed to be another language. Vincenzo wasn't sure because he wasn't listening. Where was his father going? Maybe he was running from these men, who looked like thugs. _

_Vincenzo saw thugs on American shows. He couldn't comprehend it with his childish innocence. Romolo was running after them now._

_Vito ran into the street and stopped as he noticed his son. Vincenzo hugged his leg in fear. Vito repeatedly told him to run. Vincenzo silently said "no." He heard a loud _screech_ing sound. Romolo started shouting and the thugs shrugged and walked away. _

_Then, nothing. _

_Vincenzo woke up, not sure how much longer, in a blinding white hospital room. He had bandages all over his body as a nurse leaned over him, happy to see him awake. _

_"You're very lucky," she said. "You only came out with a few scratches." She poked her head out the door as Vincenzo struggled to sit up._

_"Romolo!" she called. "He's awake now!" The little boy bounded in with a smile on his face. But his bloodshot eyes told Vincenzo he was just crying. _

_"Vincenzo!" he cried. "I can't believe you actually made it out!" He hugged Vincenzo._

_"Um," Vincenzo said. "Who're you?" The boy's face fell and he walked closer to Vincenzo. But it was true. Vincenzo couldn't remember much more than his name. _

_"You really can't remember?" Romolo asked. He sat on the edge of the bed. Vincenzo shook his head. "It's okay," he said hugging Vincenzo. "It's okay to forget for just a little while."_

_The most Romolo explained was that they were twins and both their parents died. But he never mentioned Vincenzo running out into the street. He got hit by a car on his own. Vito already died a while ago. Vincenzo had nothing to do with it. Didn't even witness it._

_Romolo made the decision not to take Vincenzo home and sat on the wet sidewalk as it rained .The crowded street didn't seem to care about his actions._

_"What're you doing?" Vincenzo asked._

_"We'll live outside," Romolo said. "End of story." Vincenzo didn't question his younger brother. After a few days without eating, the locals got that they were now homeless and it became a tradition to give food. Some tourists said the twins were angels that tested your generosity._

_But for some reason, Vincenzo didn't believe in angels anymore. And neither did Romolo. _

_Since that day, Vincenzo never saw his brother smile again._

_Two years passed. They were now ten years old. One day, a teenage girl passed them and cocked her head at them._

_"Who're you?" she asked in an unfamiliar accent. "Where are your parents?"_

_"Heaven," Vincenzo answered. The girl was taken by surprise. "We're homeless."_

_"Oh, I'm Helen," the girl said. Romolo huffed and looked away, unsure of the stranger. "I just came here from Hungary. I'm fifteen. How old are you?" On her face was the most beautiful and friendly smile Vincenzo had ever seen. He held up both his hands and showed all his fingers._

_"Ten years?" Helen said. Vincenzo nodded. "Are you hungry?" She pooled around her backpack. "Here – they're ham sandwiches. I like turkey better myself. And look – I have two. One for your brother, I assume?" Romolo gave a slight nod._

_"Tell you what," Helen said. "I'll come by everyday on my way to work and give you lunch. Is the ground hard? I brought an old blanket. I sometimes nap at work when no one's looking." She pulled a cobalt worn blanket out of her pack as the twin's munched on their sandwiches. She laid it down on the concrete for them to sit on. Vincenzo was beginning to think she was going to be like a big sister to him. _

_From then on, Helen came by every day. She brought them whatever she had – chips, candy, apples, whatever. She'd always wear the cutest flowers in her hair. Vincenzo thought she always looked very pretty. Even Romolo eventually gained her trust. He smiled at her when she came and she smiled back. Vincenzo was so glad when they started getting along. He told her she was officially part of their little family on her eighteenth birthday and she said it was the best gift she could have. Ever since then, she started calling Vincenzo "Vinnie." He wasn't sure why._

_Time passed. The twins turned twenty and Helen was twenty-five. Like always, she passed their little spot (today her flower was a blue lily) and gave them a big bag of potato chips. _

_"Romolo and I have something to tell you," Helen said nervously, but still wore her grin. She looked expectantly at Romolo. He stopped rummaging around in the bag and looked back up at her. He then turned to Vincenzo._

_"Um, Helen found a college in America," he said quickly. "It's called Hetalia College. They give you a free trip there if you clear the entrance test." Vincenzo was shocked._

_"I can't!" he protested. "I can barely read Italian, let alone English! And what about the math and stuff?"_

_"Cheat," Romolo said through a mouth of chips. _

_"I can't!" Vincenzo said again. "I don't want to!" This was the first time he could ever remember disagreeing with his brother. But Helen reached into her bag and pulled out a test sheet she printed out. It already had the answers on it. _

_She sent it to America. She taught Vincenzo English, which she learned in Hungary. (She also taught Romolo.) She'd point to British or American tourists and say "What are they saying?" Luckily, Vincenzo was a fast learner and learned the language in about three months. And then came the bus. Romolo waved good-bye._

_Helen wiped away a tear. Vincenzo was a bit like a son to her after all. She wave-_

"I told you Italians were bad drivers!"

"Shut up, Fred! We're lucky he only came out with only a few scratches. Right, Ludwig?"

"Of course. We're lucky it was a small car."

"If we were lucky, he wouldn't have been hit at all!"

Vincenzo cracked open an eye. All four of them leaned over them.


	9. We Need to Leave

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, fratello, really."

"Sure?"

"Stop worrying!" Vincenzo waved a hand and gripped his bed sheets tighter. He and his twin were sleeping at Italy's tonight.

Romolo rolled his eyes. "Stop being so stupid. I'm your TWIN. I know everything's not fine. So what happened?" He crossed his arms defiantly.

Vincenzo's mind flashed back to his dad's death.

"I…" Why was this so hard to say to his twin? They knew each other forever, right? What's the worry? "I sort of remembered something. From when I was a little kid."

Romolo inhaled and stared, waiting.

"I had a flashback from when our dad died," Vincenzo explained nervously. Romolo's expression didn't change. "You didn't tell me it was my fault he died. If he didn't stop for me in the road, he wouldn't have been hit."

"Is that all?" Romolo reached into a first aid kit he brought and began to bandage the wound on Vincenzo's arm. "I knew you would remember someday. I'm actually surprised it took so long."

"Oh," Vincenzo grunted. "Um, Romolo, can I ask a weird question?"

"I don't want you to, but go ahead."

"Can we stay here?" Romolo looked up from what he was doing.

"What?"

"I want to stay," Vincenzo said. "Here. Forever."

"Okay, Vincenzo, I know you," Romolo sighed. "You just want to escape from all the troubles of our world, huh? But there's a problem with that."

"Huh? A problem?" Vincenzo repeated.

"Si," Romolo said. "You were never meant to come here. I'm not sure how you did or why, but there was meant to be one Italy and Vincenzo in two dimensions. What about the you in our world? And two of you here would be too much. Same goes for me and your idiot friends. Got it?"

Vincenzo thought for a moment. "I get it. But I fit in so much better here. I don't have a problem opening up to people."

"But those aren't people," Romolo pointed out. "They are countries. Nations. They don't really behave like normal humans, do they? You need to come home with me and Helen, okay?" He gave his brother a stern look.

"Kind of pathetic I don't get along with humans," Vincenzo said. "But I guess you're right. We shouldn't mess with other worlds."

"That's right, fratello," Romolo said. "Now, do you remember how you went back last time?"

"I think that I just have to want to," Vincenzo said thoughtfully. "I brought Fred and Scott here too. Right when I wished they were here."

"Why in the world would you wish that?!" Romolo asked. "Never mind. We should just get home ASAP."

"Okay…" Vincenzo buried his head in his knees. He had friends here. Plus, he was the only one who understood Italy. And…

"Hello, all!" Helen poked her head into the room cheerfully. "What're you talking about, Vinnie?"

"We were just planning to go back home," Vincenzo said sadly. He looked up at his brother. "We can't come back? Not even to visit?"

"Not even to visit." Romolo stood and turned to Helen. "Hey, mind if we stay at your place when we get back?"

"No way!" Vincenzo protested. Helen looked momentarily hurt. "I like sleeping outside!" He frowned at Romolo.

The elder brother rolled his eyes once more. "We are going home. But if you really want to stay homeless, I don't mind. And about that school, you aren't going back."

"Why not?" Vincenzo cocked his head.

"I don't like it there. That's the place that seemed to put us in this mess." Romolo walked out of the room and as if on cue, Fred, Ludwig, and Scott inched their way in.

"So you aren't going back?" Fred said, standing next to a silent Helen. "Bummer."

"Sorry you can't," Scott said. "It's honestly a little upsetting. I mean, I think you can consider someone close if you've traveled into a parallel universe with them."

"I want to go back, honest," Vincenzo moaned. "I sort of don't want to go back to Italy. I've gotten so used to it. It's boring at this point. Staring at the same street day in and day out…"

"Well, I'm not going up against your brother," Ludwig said. Everyone stared and Ludwig realized what he said. "Not that I'm scared of him! He's just so overprotective, not to mention annoying."

"That's my big brother you're talking about," Vincenzo said. "Not that you're wrong or anything."

"Hello, bros!" a familiar voice said. "Moving away, I heard!"

"It's because you were eavesdropping, America," Britain said. "You're becoming quite the creeper."

"Shut up," America snapped. "Anyway, so you're not coming back?"

"No," Vincenzo sighed. "Romolo told me not to mess with other worlds anymore."

"Not to be insensitive, but it does make sense," Britain said. "You might have changed something here that wouldn't have happened if you stayed in your world."

"Yeah, the Axis may actually win here," Fred said jokingly.

"Wait, we win?" America said. "YES! Not that it was a surprise, but YES! TAKE THAT AXIS!"

"Nice," Scott said to Fred.

"We should leave soon," Helen said. "Staying longer will make it harder to say goodbye. Go say your farewells and we'll meet at the entrance hall."

"Okay," everyone grunted.

***Ah ha… This is awkward… IMSOSORRYITRIEDIREALLYDIDI… I lost track of time. Kidding. I got lazy. :3 That doesn't deserve a smiley face. But next chapter will probably be our last together. My first Hetalia FanFic will come to an end. *tear* Until then, CIAO!***


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